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Dallas-based insurance brokerage firm Roach Howard Smith & Barton (RHSB) appointed Tom A. Hughston as its new CEO.
Hughston, previously the company’s executive vice president, is an established leader in the industry with an insurance career that spans more than 20 years. He joined RHSB in 1991 as a principal and shareholder, and was appointed to the board of directors in 1995. In 2008, he was elected to the board of The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers.
RHSB also added the following new board members: Bart Tucker, David Kohl, John Hall and Doug Jones.
RHSB is an Assurex Global partner, with offices in Dallas, Ft. Worth and San Antonio, Texas.
Medical professional liability insurance carrier Austin, Texas-based Medicus Insurance, announced that James O’Hare joined the company as claims director.
Prior to joining Medicus, O’Hare was vice president of claims for Physicians Insurance Co. He has 26 years of experience in the medical professional liability field.
Medicus Insurance Co. provides medical professional liability insurance to physicians, surgeons and related medical service providers in 20 states.
Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services added to its sales teams in the firm’s Baton Rouge and Lake Charles, La., offices.
In Baton Rouge, Robert Johnston was added as a sales executive. Johnston most recently was an auditor with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, and a co-founder of Southern Marsh Collections.
Cody Vicknair was hired as a sales executive in the Lake Charles office. He most recently waswith Louisiana Companies as a risk advisor.
John Polak was selected as interim general manager for the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA).
Polak succeeds Randy Wipf, who was named acting general manager in March after former General Manager Jim Oliver was ousted following a takeover of the organization by the Texas Department of Insurance.
Polak has more than 39 years of industry experience, including management positions in financial, actuarial, underwriting and claims handling. As CEO of a major insurance company, he dealt directly with regulators in all 50 states. In addition, he has managed claims organizations that handled a daily claims volume in catastrophe-prone areas, and was directly involved in responses to loss events due to hurricanes Rita, Katrina, Charlie, Ivan, Jeanne and others.
Frost Insurance announced that Brian Latkowski was named senior vice president, employee benefits practice leader, in the company’s Austin, Texas, office. In this role, Latkowski oversees statewide strategic initiatives for the firm’s employee benefits practice.
Latkowski has 19 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Frost, he served as vice president, health and welfare practice leader for National Financial Partners.
Dallas-based Towerstone Inc., a wholesale insurance broker and managing general agency, added Emmanuel Ortiz as account manager and Justin Proctor as account executive.
Ortiz will work in Towerstone’s managing general agency division where he will provide diverse market access and industry expertise to insurance agents and brokers representing a wide variety of industries.
Proctor is charged with helping Towerstone grow its casualty and energy divisions. He is focused on building and maintaining relationships between the oil and gas agents, and insurance markets.
Towerstone, a subsidiary of the IMA Financial Group Inc., has offices in Dallas and San Antonio, Texas.
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